Geographic and socioeconomic factors associated with leprosy treatment default: An analysis from the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort.
Kaio Vinicius Freitas de AndradeJoilda Silva NeryJulia Moreira PescariniAnna RamondCarlos Antônio de Souza Teles SantosMaria Yury IchiharaMaria Lucia Fernandes PennaElizabeth Bailey BrickleyLaura C RodriguesLiam SmeethMauricio L BarretoSusan Martins PereiraGerson Oliveira PennaPublished in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases (2019)
The findings of the study indicate that the frequency of leprosy treatment default varies regionally in Brazil and provide new evidence that adverse socioeconomic conditions may represent important barriers to leprosy treatment completion. These findings suggest that interventions to address socioeconomic deprivation, along with continued efforts to improve access to care, have the potential to improve leprosy treatment outcomes and disease control.